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Heroku alternatives in 2026

Ship a new release and keep the app running without babysitting a server by hand. Compare the options below by their fit, pricing and tradeoffs, then check which Heroku features Argo CD covers before switching.

Side by side

Heroku alternatives compared

ToolTypeBest forPricingTradeoff
Argo CD on Borg App Hub Open source Ship a new release and keep the app running without babysitting a server by hand. No per-seat cost; pay for AI + compute Runs inside your Borg workspace.
Render SaaS Managed app and database hosting. Free options; paid compute and database plans. Compute and data plans add to the bill.
Railway SaaS Quick app deployments with managed services. Usage-based paid plans. Usage costs can change month to month.
Fly.io SaaS Apps running in multiple regions. Usage-based compute and storage. More infrastructure choices to manage.
DigitalOcean App Platform SaaS Hosted apps with simple deployment. Free static sites; paid app compute. Managed compute costs more than running your own cluster.
Coolify Open source Self-hosted app deployment on your servers. Free to self-host; server costs extra. You maintain the servers and backups.
Dokku Open source Heroku-like deploys on one server. Free to self-host; server costs extra. You own server operations and scaling.

The push

Why teams leave Heroku

  • Heroku costs climb fast as apps need more dynos and paid add-ons.

  • The smallest dynos cap out at just 0.5 GB of RAM each.

  • Some teams want direct control over the servers and region their app runs on.

  • The convenience of managed dynos makes migrating off Heroku to another platform harder later.

Before switching

Check the coverage you need

Review the feature details for Argo CD before moving your workflow from Heroku.

  • App deployments

    Partly covered

    Syncs Git-defined Kubernetes apps; needs a build pipeline and cluster.

  • Managed compute

    Planned

    Argo CD does not provide compute; bring and manage a Kubernetes cluster.

  • Container registry

    Planned

    Use a separate registry; Argo CD does not host images.

  • Release controls

    Partly covered

    Shows sync status and history; Git-based rollback differs from Heroku releases.

  • Add-ons and data

    Planned

    No bundled managed databases or add-on marketplace.

See the full feature coverage for Argo CD.

Borg App Hub

Argo CD, without the seat tax

Ship a new release and keep the app running without babysitting a server by hand. The Borg App Hub runs Argo CD with no per-seat cost and no usage caps. You pay only for the AI and compute you use, inside a workspace you control.

Start free See Argo CD on Borg

Early access for Search Atlas Mastermind and Enterprise.

Questions

Heroku alternatives, answered

Is Argo CD a drop-in Heroku replacement?

No. Argo CD deploys to Kubernetes; you must bring a cluster, image registry, and build pipeline.

Does Argo CD host my app?

No. Your Kubernetes cluster hosts the app; Argo CD keeps deployments in sync with Git.

Can Argo CD build container images?

No. Use a separate build tool to create and publish images before deployment.

Do I still need a database?

Yes. Argo CD does not include Heroku-style managed database add-ons.

Is there an open-source or free alternative to Heroku?

Yes. Argo CD is open source and free; Coolify and Dokku are other self-hosted options. You still pay for the cluster, registry, storage, and operations to run it yourself.

How does Borg App Hub pricing work?

There's no per-seat cost and no usage caps. You pay only for the AI and compute Argo CD uses, as part of your existing Borg subscription.

Ready to look closer? See Argo CD on the Borg App Hub.

Heroku pricing checked 2026-10-07. Pricing source